


one day at a time

by civillove



Series: seblaine prompts from tumblr [77]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombies, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23346376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/civillove/pseuds/civillove
Summary: Hey all, I’m not exaggerating that 5 people asked for seblaine in quarantine and this is kinda that with a few exceptions (very important notes inside).Essentially a zombie!AU prompt.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Sebastian Smythe
Series: seblaine prompts from tumblr [77]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/82780
Comments: 7
Kudos: 53





	one day at a time

**Author's Note:**

> notes: I didn’t want to use the topic of covid-19 because I feel like it does not belong in fanfic. Fanfic, imo, is supposed to be an escape and I wanted it to remain like that. Another reason is that a lot of people are currently suffering from this virus and, as someone who lives with a parent who is at risk, it didn’t feel right using situations going on right now for entertainment.
> 
> notes 2: consider this a zombie!AU with Blaine and Sebastian meeting / living in New York

Everything happens so fast.

Blaine feels like that’s a cop out for language, for trying to grasp at the right term for what he wants but…that’s the only thing that seems to fit. He’s been stuck in his apartment for two weeks and food is seriously starting to get on the low side; he desperately misses his friends, his family, communication spotty as things start to spiral out of control.

‘Fast’ might sound like a generic word, but nothing resonates more perfectly. 

Two weeks ago, his life was normal. He was complaining about his job to Cooper, going out for drinks with Sam and Jake, going on dates with Sebastian and considering the next step of calling him his ‘boyfriend’.

It only takes twenty-four hours for things to unravel.

Blaine rarely listens to the news because everything is depressing and he has trouble sifting through things that are noteworthy and pieces that are fake, not worth his time. He’d rather put his energy into something more positive—but he could do nothing to escape an emergency broadcast about a violent virus that broke out in Pittsburgh.

He uses the word ‘violent’ because that’s exactly what the virus seems to do—he’s not a scientist or a doctor and he doesn’t know how many news segments he has to listen to with a grain of salt but…

From what he can tell, the virus breaks down the body, takes away will and morals, until nothing is left but what feels like an exposed, raw nerve. It turns you angry, vicious, savage, brutal. He’s watched those YouTube videos despite his better thinking, some of them so terrible that it’s like a car crash, he can’t look away—

Everyday people that he might have passed on the street, at the grocery store, exchanged phone numbers within a theater class; using their hands to tear others apart, fingernails digging under flesh and cracking bone. Some use their teeth…and Blaine has to turn his phone off, stop looking, because it feels too real.

Like someone is capable of breaking down his door at any moment.

So New York puts them in lockdown, because that seems like the very best option; to stop the spread, to keep people safe until further notice.

Blaine isn’t so hopeful, which is so unlike him, but as hours turn into days and days turn into weeks with little to no news…he’s expecting the worst outcome. He’s also incredibly _lonely_ in his Brooklyn apartment. He’s never needed a roommate because his job pays pretty well, despite it being frustrating, but now he wishes that he had someone to confide in.

They’re supposed to be six feet apart from one another at all times but…he wishes for Sebastian, misses the scent of his skin and dipping his nose into his hair, the sensation of his arms around him, squeezing.

The public doesn’t have a lot of information about how this virus spreads, how long it lasts, if anyone is immune or if there’s talk about a cure. The basis is that it can only be transmitted through fluids—so saliva, blood, coughing or sneezing in someone’s general direction.

Incubation seems terrifyingly short: two hours.

Two hours and it’s all over.

A tremble slides down Blaine’s spine as he sits in his bathtub, trying to warm his body because for the past few days the heat has been off in his apartment complex and he can’t seem to get warm. He has space heaters, a ton of blankets and sweaters but…he was always kinda cold before this thing started. So he’s not coping well.

Blaine draws his knees up to his chest and rests his chin on them, glancing at his cell that’s on a towel on the floor. It’s been pretty radio silent recently, everyone busy with trying to live their own lives. He hasn’t heard from Jake and Sam in three days—they live in an apartment in Queens, but since the last time he checked, they were okay other than being a little stir crazy.

Apparently California isn’t as bad just yet because Cooper is messaging him consistently, making sure to tell him that their parents are safe because they were visiting him when all of this broke out. They can’t travel but at least Cooper has a lavish apartment.

He’s been facetiming Sebastian every so often, texting frequently but it’s not the _same._ Blaine swallows and closes his eyes, pressing his forehead into his knees.

_He’s watching Sebastian make a hodgepodge of food in his kitchen, taking leftovers and scrambling them together in a pan because he’s got no other ideas for dinner. Blaine follows the long lines of Sebastian’s back under his t-shirt, his phone propped up against a pot as he cooks._

_He turns after a few moments, licking his lips as he dumps the contents into a bowl. “You’re quiet.”_

_Blaine lets out a long sigh, pressing his face into his pillow as he lays on his stomach in bed. His Pitbull, Jupiter, lays beside him—practically on top of his legs because he can’t get close enough. He’s just happy he has a_ lot _of dog food to keep everything running smoothly for about three months; he buys more in bulk for his pet rather than himself._

_He just feels bad that he’s cooped up in this apartment and they haven’t been able to go on a walk._

_“Yeah sorry,” He says quietly, rubbing his face with his one hand as his phone rests against the headboard. Blaine isn’t sure what else to add and bites down on his lower lip as he watches Sebastian munch on his food creation, pulling a face that tugs the smallest of smiles onto his own. “That bad?”_

_Sebastian just groans a little in response, leaning his elbows onto the counter as he eats. He’s got glasses on and Blaine’s always preferred him like that, looking a little bookish and soft around the edges. He must be reading to keep himself busy because he really doesn’t need them otherwise._

_The taller clinks his fork into the bowl and when Blaine meets his eyes, he can tell Sebastian’s trying to read him without asking any questions. He’s rather good at that; annoyingly so, being able to pick out how he feels without Blaine offering any words._

_It’s like he reads it off his skin, interprets his micro-expressions. It’s unfair because Blaine can’t do it; Sebastian’s good at deflecting, at putting his walls up, at pretending he’s one thing when he’s the exact opposite._

_It’s one of the things that made Blaine hesitate about taking their relationship to the next level, something that feels so trivial now._

_“What’s wrong?” Sebastian asks gently, picking up his phone to walk into his living room. He sits down on his couch, his food bowl in his lap, occasionally picking at it as he talks._

_Blaine shakes his head, choosing to give his attention to the strings sticking out of his pillow and plucking at them with his fingers. He’s afraid that if he opens his mouth, his voice will waver. There’s so much going on right now, so many people who are worse off than him and he_ what _? Is upset because he’s lonely and scared and misses him?_

_He chews on his lower lip before clearing his throat, “Think I’m just tired.”_

_Sebastian hums, not believing a single word, “You’re in quarantine, you literally have all day to nap.”_

_His lower lip wobbles, can’t help it, and he looks away from the screen as tears start to build up in the corner of his eyes. The taller lets out a soft sigh, his name on his tongue and Blaine has to move the screen so Sebastian can’t see him_

_“Come on, please don’t cry, B.” He doesn’t sound frustrated at the tears but there’s a softness, an ache to his voice because he’s crying and Sebastian can’t be there to wipe the tears off his cheeks._

_“I’m sorry,” A breath hiccups in his throat despite trying to calm down._

_“Put the screen back, let me see you,” Sebastian shifts on the couch, bowl being put on the table in front of the couch. “Please?”_

_Blaine lets out a slow breath and wipes his cheeks with the back of his hand, Jupiter making a soft whining noise as he inches up the bed and noses at his wrist. He presses a kiss to the dog’s head and sniffles, fixing the phone so Sebastian can see him again._

_Sebastian’s eyes drink him in and Blaine notices his fingers flexing on his lap, wanting to touch him but can’t. He waits a few moments, letting him collect himself before, “It’s incredibly unfair that you still manage to look beautiful after a soft breakdown.”_

_A choked laugh leaves his lips and he shakes his head, can’t imagine what he looks like. Wild curls, red splotched cheeks, wet eyelashes; a mess. “Stop.” He smiles just a little at the corners of his mouth, which he’s sure is Sebastian’s intention._

_“Listen to me, I’m not promise everything is going to be fine…but you gotta just take this slow, alright? Don’t overwhelm yourself.”_

_Blaine nods, biting the inside of his cheek, “I just miss everyone. I miss_ you _.”_

_“Well I’m a hot commodity,” Sebastian winks and Blaine rolls his eyes but the familiarity feels nice, warms him in the center of his chest. “I miss you too, really.”_

_Blaine holds onto the heat of his voice as long as he can since he can’t feel his touch._

He pulls himself out of the tub when the water loses its heat and makes sure to dry off completely, blow-drying his curls so he doesn’t catch a cold. He bundles up in a pair of sweatpants, extra thick socks and two shirts before a hoodie, drawing the hood up over his ears. He pets Jupiter’s head as they wander into the living room and he draws the curtains back from the window so he can take a look outside.

Everything seems so normal if you didn’t know what was going on; currently Brooklyn looks the same as it always does, other than the fact that the streets are scarce of people.

He rubs his forehead and is about to turn to ask Jupiter if he wants to make mac n cheese and watch re-runs of _House_ before there’s the sound of glass breaking coming from his bedroom. Blaine goes incredibly still, his heartbeat ramming directly into his throat because…

Jupiter barks wildly, running to the bedroom to address whatever is going on. His window isn’t broken but something has definitely been knocked over and he moves slowly, like his legs are made of brick and unplugs a lamp to throw because he doesn’t have a weapon readily available. He’s always been wary of guns and he’s not about to own one now just because of what’s going on and the kitchen feels too far away to grab a knife.

He approaches the doorway of his bedroom and gets ready to _wallop_ this lamp towards the intruder when—

When Jupiter jumps up and starts greeting them, tail wagging.

Blaine drops the lamp, the metal nearly hitting his foot. He most definitely breaks the lightbulb. “ _Sebastian?”_

The taller smiles a little sheepishly, not as confident as he’s seen him before as he pulls his other long leg in through his window, petting Jupiter’s head. He drops a big bag by his feet, most likely a combination of clothes, food and other things taken from his apartment. There’s a broken candle on the ground, clearly something he knocked over while climbing through from the fire escape.

“You know, in these times that we’re having, you should probably start locking your windows. Anyone can just climb in.”

His heart nearly explodes in his chest, a wall of different emotions hitting him at once that he nearly feels overwhelmed. His knees shake as he takes a few steps forward, not sure what to do, whether he wants to hug or hit him. A sound shudders out of his chest, so _happy_ that he’s here that it nearly overshadows any other emotion.

Sebastian puts his hand up, “Don’t.” And Blaine stops in his tracks because oh, right, fuck. He shakes his head and backs up, six feet apart. “Just. I’m going to walk into your bathroom. Don’t open the door for three hours, just to be safe.” He holds his gaze, those warm green eyes dipping into his chest and _squeezing. “_ Understand?”

Blaine nods quickly, making a soft calling noise with his lips so that Jupiter joins his side again. He pets his head and motions him into the hallway, away from the broken lamp lightbulb. “Did you come across anyone? How did you…all the way from Manhattan, are you _crazy?”_ All of his words jumble together out of his mouth.

Sebastian smiles a little, moving slowly to where his bathroom door is, keeping their distance. “Don’t ever say I’ve never done anything for you,” He licks his lips, “I didn’t come across anyone. It’s a mandate to stay inside,” He grins, “But I figure…maybe that’s mostly a guideline. I intend to stay in _now.”_

Blaine rolls his eyes, running a hand over his curls and taking the hood off because while he wants to be mad at Sebastian for risking his life…he can’t be more pleased that he’s actually here, with him.

“You got three hours to be mad at me,” Sebastian says as he steps into the bathroom, “I’ll see you then.” And closes the door.

\--

Blaine can’t concentrate the entire time he’s in the living room, curled up on the couch with Jupiter, waiting and listening for any signs of trouble. The virus symptoms present with a fever, flu-like symptoms before uncontrollable angry outbursts, violent twitching of the body, and so on and so forth…before that person is lost.

He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. Fuck.

On the one hand, he _is_ mad at Sebastian for pulling this stunt. He could have caught by people who were sick, the police or military presence and thrown into jail, or _other_ idiots like him who are breaking quarantine for whatever reasons they think are important.

But…

As he glances over the back of the couch towards his bedroom, he wants nothing more than to pull Sebastian into his body and never let him go, his stomach fluttering in anticipation. He’s here and he’s safe and he gave up a lot of things to be able to come to Blaine’s apartment, to risk everything just to be with him.

If that’s not a demonstration of commitment, he’s not sure what is.

Hours tick down before Sebastian comes into the hallway, pulling the thermometer Blaine keeps in the bathroom out of his ear. He smiles at the read out: “98.3, completely normal—”

Sebastian barely gets the words out before Blaine is barreling towards him, nearly knocking him off his feet as he wraps his arms around his waist. The taller lets out a soft noise, trying to hold onto the thermometer and Blaine at the same time. He draws him close, face pressed in his curls, hands moving up and down his back. Blaine tries to mold them together, to create a moment where they might not be able to separate, face nuzzling against his chest as his body trembles.

He’s breathing hard, emotion clogging his throat. He can’t find the words to speak and Sebastian shushes him, pulling back just enough to press a kiss to his forehead. “You’re okay.” He whispers, cupping his cheek.

Blaine smiles wetly and nods, “I am now.”

\--

Blaine holds his bowl of mac n cheese close to his chest as he watches Sebastian sit in the corner of the couch, Jupiter somehow between them because he loves cheese. The TV plays in the background but neither are really watching as they eat dinner.

He chews on his lower lip, wanting to ask but also just wanting to enjoy the silence of their presence together. He clears his throat, “Is it bad? In Manhattan?”

Sebastian nods after a moment, putting his bowl aside and fixes the oversized sweater he’s wearing so it sits more comfortably on his neck. “Pretty bad. There are a lot of hot spot clusters,” He shakes his head, “Government doesn’t know what the fuck is going on. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

Blaine knows he needs to eat but he’s overwhelmed with nerves and his stomach protests at taking in any more food. He swallows and puts the bowl aside, pulling his sleeves over his hands. “I still have a decent amount of food for now.” He clears his throat. “Lots of candles if the power goes out. We can start bottling tap water with all those recyclables that I’ve saved.”

Sebastian smiles a little, “For someone who was crying on the phone the other day, you’re pretty good in a crisis.”

Crimson kisses Blaine’s cheeks and he shrugs, “I like being busy, having something to do…” He sighs and scrubs a closed hand over his curls, “Probably should start barricading the front door too. Just in case.”

The taller hums and glances over at the door like it might tumble down at any second before reaching for Blaine’s hand over Jupiter’s body, “One day at a time.”

Blaine gently scoots his dog off the couch, moving across the cushions. Sebastian predicts this movement and turns so that he’s leaning against the arm and a few pillows, drawing Blaine into his body and between his legs. He settles against him, tucking his head underneath his chin and takes a deep breath into his lungs. He memorizes his scent, hints of cedar from his expensive cologne and laundry detergent mixed with something that’s distinctly Sebastian’s skin.

He closes his eyes, listening to his heartbeat like he might have to remember what it sounds like. Sebastian drags his fingers through his curls, massaging his scalp. And with him here, with their bodies pressed together, absorbing one another’s comfort and warmth—it feels like Blaine will be able to do that.

To take one day at a time.

**Author's Note:**

> If you are struggling with quarantine, just know you’re not alone. This too shall pass and I hope, if you read this, it brought you a little bit of comfort! Stay safe out there.


End file.
